// Boots named among thousands of firms who have been hit by a cyber attack
// The retailer said the cyber attack included some of its employees’ personal details
Boots and British Airways have been named among thousands of firms struck by a major cyber attack involving a Russian-speaking criminal gang.
The cyber attack targeted Zellis, a payroll provider which serves nearly half of FTSE 100 companies.
Part of the Walgreens Boots Alliance, the business said the attack had included some of its employees’ personal details.
British Airways, owned by IAG, said it had notified affected employees and was providing them with support.
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“Our provider assured us that immediate steps were taken to disable the server,” Boots said.
The health and beauty giant employs over 50,000 people in Britain, while British Airways has about 30,000 staff.
The compromised data includes names, addresses and national insurance numbers, reported the Telegraph.
At least a fifth of British groups have had their data stolen by an external attacker in the past year, security firm Sophos said. UK companies can be fined up to 4% of their annual revenue for mishandling data.
Earlier in March, WHSmith also suffered a cyber attack, resulting in the unauthorised access to company data, including current and former employee information.
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